Other local war memorials
Ashen Bellchamp Otten Cornish Hall End Finchingfield Great Bardfield Little Saling Shalford Strumer Braintree & Bocking Warner & SonsANDREWS, FOSTER. Private 17085 Essex Regiment. 1st Bn. 88th Brigade in 29th Division. Died 14/04/1917 Age: 25. ARRAS MEMORIAL. Son of George and Emma Andrews, of Grange Cottage, Little Sampford, Braintree, Essex. Father George a roadman for the council and Foster a farm labourer in 1911.
Effects to father George £24/-/10d war gratuity £9/10/- Entered war 1st December 1915 when regiment was stationed in Egypt (Gallipoli).
Death presumed.
Attack on Monchy-le-Preux alongside the Newfoundland Reg. Serious fighting with 17 officers and 644 other ranks casualties.
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COOTE, ARTHUR. Private. 19541. Essex Regiment. 1st Bn. 88th Brigade in 29th Division. Died 22/02/1916, aged 21. SUEZ WAR MEMORIAL CEMETERY. Husband of Annie May Coote, of Top Farm, Grafham, Hunts. Born 1895 son of Walter & Julia Coote of little Sampford. Father an agricultural labourer in 1901 a Stockman by 1911, Arthur an agricultural labourer also by 1911.
Entered war 1st December 1915, Egypt.
Effects to widow Annie May £1/15/10d plus 3/6d, war gratuity £3.
Died Enteric 22nd February 1916.
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DICKENS, FREDERICK ERNEST Rifleman 42223 Royal Irish Rifles 13th Bn. 108th Brigade in 36th (Ulster) Division. Died: 16/08/1917. Age: 19. TYNE COT MEMORIAL. Son of Charles and Abigail Dickens, of Hawkins Hill, Little Sampford, Braintree, Essex.
Born Islington son of a gas stoker, lived East Ham 1911 and enlisted East Ham, no reason given for connection with Little Sampford.
Death presumed. Effects £1/19/10 Gratuity £3 to mother, sole leg.
War Diary 4th Suffolks 1st November 1917
DRANE, JOHN, Private 5605. 4th Bn. Suffolk Regiment. 98th Brigade, 33rd Division. Died 01/11/1916. Aged 30. THEIPVAL MEMORIAL. Son of Mrs. Rue Drane, of Little Bush, Little Sampford, Braintree, Essex. Born 1886 son of John and Ruth, father a farm labourer. By 1911 John himself was a fishmonger in Little Sampford.
Effects to mother Ruth £4/8/2d War gratuity £3.
'A' company attacked enemy position on ridge on right front in support of brigade attack. Enemy machine guns not silenced, leading officer and several men killed. Details in War diary.
1st Battalion war diary 1st July 1916
GOWLETT, JAMES. Private 19514. 1st Bn. Essex Regiment. 88th Brigade in 29th Division. Died 01/07/1916. Aged 20. KNIGHTSBRIDGE CEMETERY, MESNIL-MARTINSART Son of Walter and Sarah Gowlett, of Millfield Cottage, Little Sampford, Essex. Father a farm labourer and James like his brothers Alfred and George also followed this lifestyle.
Entered war 4th November 1915 with Egypt E. F.
As the battalion left the trenches they came under heavy artillery and machine gun fire and found great difficulty getting through their own wire. Many casualties because of this and few men got half way across no-man's-land.
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PHILPOTT, GEORGE BOWYER. Private 260113. 13th Bn. Royal Sussex Regiment. 116th Brigade in 39th Division Died 02/08/1917 Aged 38. NEW IRISH FARM CEMETERY. Born 1879 only son of Thomas and Elizabeth, father carpenter and undertaker mother organist at church. Married Gertrude Sarah Stone 1910.
Effects to wife £2/8/5d war gratuity £3
St Julien: Heavy rain, men standing in 2’6” of water but all “cheery and confident.” During the night of the 2/3rd heavy enemy barrage fell on the troops and “most of our casualties were suffered here.” War Diary.
Herbert Laflin RICHARDSON
Herbert was born 1885 in Great Bardfield, his father a groom and later a stockman on a farm. During December 1915 he enlisted in the Essex Regiment, No 35864, possibly the home based 2/5th Battalion.
However, he suffered from nephritis and was discharged as unfit in May 1917 and awarded a Silver War badge (given to discharged wounded men). He did not serve overseas.
On Great Bardfield Memorial.
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SUCKLING, ARTHUR. Lance Corporal 34157. 2nd Bn. Middlesex Regiment (The Duke of Cambridge’s Own) 23rd Brigade in 8th Division. Died 14/11/1918. COLCHESTER CEMETERY. Born Finchingfield 1896 to Walter and Marylin Suckling. Father a horseman on farm and by 1911 Arthur was a Kitchen Boy.
Embodied service 5th August 1914.
Wounded in right chest by shrapnel in action 9th May 1917. Declared permanently unfit 25th April 1918. Died from effects of wounds 14th November 1918, three days after armistice.
DAVEY, FREDERICK JAMES, Flight Sergeant (Air Gunner) 1873833. 83 Sqdn. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. Died 13/08/1944. HANOVER WAR CEMETERY Son of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Davey; husband of Elizabeth Joan Davey, of Fewcott, Oxfordshire.
Davey F J. Flight Sergeant. Bomber Command 83 Sqd. 1944-08-12. Lancaster III. PB138. OL-D. Coningsby. 2104. Braunschweig. Crashed at Adelheidsdorf. Killed Hannover War Cemetery
Took off from RAF Coningsby at 21:04. Intercepted by night fighter, whose cannon fire mortally wounded the tail gunner, and was abandoned, leaving the Lancaster to crash at 04:00 near Adelheidsdorf about 7 km SSW from the center of Celle. Flt Sgt Davey is buried in Hannover War Cemetery.
Crew
Flt Lt A E Keeling DFM (PoW)
Flt Sgt J G Francis (PoW)
Plt Off G K Chapman DFM (PoW)
Fg Off F A Harpham (PoW)
WO D L Miller (PoW)
Flt Sgt G H Bateman (PoW)
Flt Sgt F J Davey (Killed on Active Service)
*Claimed by Fw Heinz Pahler (8./NJG1) four engined aircraft 80 km NW of Braunschweig (5,300m) at 00:29. This would be his 8th kill. Aviation Safety
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MALTBY, RALPH ALEXANDER. Lieutenant. 73034. Royal Artillery. attd. 2nd Wing The Glider Pilot Regiment, A.A.C. Died 17/09/1944. Aged 26. Mentioned in Despatches. ARNHEM OOSTERBEEK WAR CEMETERY. Order of the Patriotic War (U.S.S.R.). Son of Francis Brough Maltby and Enid Rosamond Maltby; husband of Jean Felicity Maltby (nee Beath), of Oxford
“I thank my God
Upon every remembrance of you”
Serving with the Royal Artillery, Lt. R.A. Maltby became attached to No 2 Wing, The Glider Pilot Regiment as an Intelligence Officer, and started piloting Gliders. Flying into Arnhem on the 17th Sept, as Co. Pilot with a cargo of 14 Platoon, B Company of the Border Regiment, in Glider 161 alongside Lt Col. John Place. Lt Maltby was killed by a head wound caused by enemy flack whilst flying over Hertogenbosch area, after returning to the cockpit after checking the securness of the tailgate. On landing Lt Maltby, was given a field burial near the roadside north of Reijerskamp Farm at Wolfheze. On being hit, Lt Maltby was tended to by Sgt Thomas Watson 14 Platoon Leader, but when realising that he was dead, he was ordered out of the cockpit and to shut the door by Lt Col Place.
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SWEETING, JOHN, Private. 6021190. 4th Bn. Suffolk Regiment. 54th Infantry Brigade,18th Infantry Division. Died 01/09/1943. Aged 24. THANBYUZAYAT WAR CEMETERY. Son of John and Violet Blanche Sweeting, of Great Sampford, Essex.
“Rest in Peace”
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SWEETING, CHARLES MACEY. Private 6012290. 1/5th Bn. Essex Regiment. 161st Indian Infantry Brigade. Died 01/12/1941. Aged 26. KANTARA WAR MEMORIAL CEMETERY. Son of John and Violet Blanch Sweeting of Little Sampford, Essex.
Born 1915.
“For duty, honour and country,
Kindred and friends
He gave his life freely”
According to the date the battalion arrived and the date of his death it is likely disease was responsible.